Cats And Dangers In The Home

There are dangers even for the cat that is kept indoors all the time. Those who live in high rise buildings should erect netting across open windows and around balconies.

The defenses can be camouflaged by plants. Even within the house, cats should be allowed access to heights only if they are considered safe.

A specific danger area is a staircase with openwork banisters from which a kitten could launch itself into space, not necessarily landing on its feet. Kittens should be supervised as they explore.

The allure of machines – The warmth, the smells and the movement of washing and drying machines attract a cat’s attention. Always make sure that the appliance’s doors are kept closed when not in use.

Before you turn the machine on, check that there is no cat curled inside. The smell of food in a fridge is also enticing. At least if it were to be inadvertently incarcerated, a cat would survive there for some time, as long as there was sufficient air available.

It would not, however, survive for long in a freezer. Fifteen minutes would probably be long enough to cause irreversible hypothermia.

Playing With Fire – Burns and scalds sustained by cats exploring the source of interesting food smells are not unusual and are sometimes very severe. Cats have been known to dance across the hot rings of an electric cooker, badly damaging their paws.

Electric cables are potential playthings, so make sure no wires are loose or exposed, and if you spot your cat chewing them, conceal the cable beneath a carpet, or cover them with a cat proof material such as thick, loose rubber or plastic tubing.

A cat will nose around drawers and boxes packed with interesting oddments, but here too, are potential dangers such as pins and paper clips.

Tasty, pinky elastic bands may be fun to pick at and chew, but could cause choking and suffocation, and the same go for lengths of wool or cotton, or plastic film. Cats are also attracted to olives, the stones of which are just the right size to become stuck in a feline throat.